This invention relates to a recording medium device having a disc-shaped recording medium, such as a tape-shaped recording medium, e.g., a magnetic tape, carrying information signals, or a disc-shaped recording medium, such as an optical disc or a magnetic disc, accommodated in a main cartridge body unit, and/or a recording and/or reproducing apparatus. More particularly, it relates to a recording medium device having an auxiliary recording member, memorizing the recording medium information concerning the recording medium housed in the main cartridge body unit, and a recording and/or reproducing apparatus employing this recording medium device.
Up to now, a tape cartridge having a magnetic tape accommodated in a main cartridge body unit has been in use as a recording medium for a recording and/or reproducing apparatus, such as a tape recorder or a video tape recorder. In this sort of the tape cartridge, such a tape cartridge having a tape width of 8 mm is in widespread use. The tape cartridge of this sort, now offered to the market, is classified into one used as a recording medium for a recording and/or reproducing apparatus used as external equipment for an information processing apparatus, such as a computer, for recording data signals, which are mainly digital signals, and one used as a recording medium for a video tape recorder for recording mainly video and audio signals. The tape cartridge used for recording data signals and the tape cartridge used for recording video and audio signals each comprise a magnetic tape, having a tape width of 8 mm, housed in a main cartridge body unit having a size and an outer profile corresponding to those of the magnetic tape. It is therefore extremely difficult to visually distinguish the tape cartridge used for recording data signals and that used for recording video or audio signals.
Meanwhile, the magnetic tapes housed in the tape cartridge used for recording data signals and that housed in the tape cartridge used for recording audio signals differ from each other as to design parameters of the magnetic medium etc. The magnetic tape used for a tape cassette for recording data signals is larger in storage capacity and is more strict in tolerance for an error rate for data signals than that used for recording video or audio signals. Thus, if the tape cartridge for recording video or audio signals is inadvertently loaded on a recording and/or reproducing apparatus for an information processing apparatus and used as a tape cartridge for recording data signals, there is presented a problem of failure in recording necessary data or data dropout due to shortage of the recording capacity.
Thus, as a tape cartridge housing a magnetic tape having a tape width of 8 mm, there is used a tape cartridge having an auxiliary recording member for storage of the information for the recording medium concerning the magnetic tape housed in the main cartridge body unit. Since a variety of the information other than the design parameters of the magnetic tape can be recorded on this auxiliary recording member, it is possible to enhance the range of application of the tape cartridge.
This tape cartridge has a main cartridge body unit within which is rotationally mounted a tape reel carrying a magnetic tape wound thereon. The magnetic tape is reeled outwardly of the main cartridge body unit through a tape pull-out opening provided in both sides of the front side of the main cartridge body unit, and is run across a pair of tape reels. On the front side of the main cartridge body unit is rotationally mounted a front lid adapted to cover the magnetic tape pulled out on the front side of the main cartridge body unit.
On one corner on the back side facing the front side of the main cartridge body unit, there is provided an auxiliary recording member having recorded thereon the recording medium information concerning a magnetic tape. This auxiliary recording member is made up of a wiring substrate, a storage element mounted on one surface of the wiring substrate and plural contact terminals printed on its other surface. The wiring substrate, carrying a variety of electric circuits, is arranged along a rear wall section of the main cartridge body unit. This auxiliary recording member is mounted in position by having both sides of the wiring substrate fitted in mating grooves formned along the rear wall section of the main cartridge body unit, with the storage element directing to the inner side of the main cartridge body unit and with the contact terminal directing to the outside thereof.
In the storage element, a variety of the recording medium information, such as the recording capacity, design parameters of the magnetic tape housed in the tape cartridge, use state or the contents of the information signals recorded on the magnetic tape. The contact terminals are the input/output terminal of the storage element, and are contacted with the connector connected to the auxiliary recording and/or reproducing unit for electrical connection. The recording medium information recorded on the storage element of the auxiliary storage member is read out by the auxiliary recording and/or reproducing unit provided in the recording and/or reproducing apparatus. Moreover, the updated new recording medium information is stored in the storage element.
In the above-described tape cartridge carrying the auxiliary storage member having the storage element, electrical connection with the auxiliary recording and/or reproducing unit of the recording and/or reproducing apparatus is necessitated in reproducing the recording medium information stored in the storage element or in storing the recording medium information in the storage element, such that the contact terminal is contacted with the connector each time the tape cartridge is loaded on the recording and/or reproducing apparatus. Thus, contact between the contact terminal and the connector is repeated such that contact deterioration is produced to render it impossible to perform reliable inputting/outputting of the recording and/or reproducing information.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a recording medium device in which the inputting/outputting of the recording medium information between an auxiliary storage medium having the recording medium information concerning the recording medium stored therein and the auxiliary recording and/or reproducing unit provided on the recording and/or reproducing apparatus may be realized in a contact-free fashion to render it possible to effect the inputting/outputting of the recording medium information.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a recording medium device reduced in size and simplified in structure.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a recording and/or reproducing apparatus which is able to use not only a tape cartridge having a transmission/reception unit in the auxiliary storage medium but also a conventional tape cartridge having an auxiliary storage medium carrying contact point terminals.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a recording and/or reproducing apparatus which realizes transmission/reception of the recording medium information during loading of the recording medium to shorten the loading time.
A recording medium device according to the present invention includes a main cartridge body unit for housing therein a recording medium on which to record information signals, and an auxiliary storage medium having a storage unit in which to store the recording medium information concerning the recording medium and a transmission/reception unit for inputting/outputting the recording medium information with a recording and/or reproducing apparatus in a non-contact fashion. The storage unit and the transmission/reception unit are arranged on the same substrate. The auxiliary storage medium is arranged in the main cartridge body unit so that the transmission/reception unit of the substrate carrying the storage unit along with the transmission/reception unit is exposed to outside through an opening provided in at least one lateral surface excluding the front surface operating as an intruding end of the main cartridge body unit into the inside of the recording and/or reproducing apparatus.
The auxiliary storage medium has an antenna for inputting/outputting the recording medium information with the recording and/or reproducing apparatus and the auxiliary storage medium is operated by driving signals supplied from the transmission/reception unit provided on the recording and/or reproducing apparatus.
The auxiliary storage medium comprises a first auxiliary substrate, having a storage unit, a second auxiliary substrate, carrying a primary coil constituting a transmission/reception unit, and a secondary coil constituting the transmission/reception unit in cooperation with the primary coil, with the first to third auxiliary substrates being layered and unified together.
The auxiliary storage medium is of substantially the same outer shape as the contact type auxiliary storage medium having contact point terminals adapted to effect information transmission/reception in contact with contact point terminals provided on the recording and/or reproducing apparatus. The auxiliary storage medium is adapted to be loadable on a main cartridge body unit of a recording medium device on which to load a contact type auxiliary recording medium device carrying contact point terminals so as to take the place of the contact type auxiliary storage medium, the contact type auxiliary recording medium device having contact point terminals for effecting information transmission/reception in contact with contact point terminals provided on the recording and/or reproducing apparatus.
A recording and/or reproducing apparatus according to the present invention comprises a loading unit on which to load a recording medium device, a recording and/or reproducing unit for recording and/or reproducing a recording medium when the recording medium device is loaded on the loading unit, a transmission/reception unit for effecting non-contact inputting/outputting of the recording medium information with the auxiliary storage medium having stored therein the recording medium information concerning the recording medium of the recording medium device, and an auxiliary recording and/or reproducing unit arranged facing the auxiliary storage medium of the recording medium device, or otherwise arranged in a manner not obstructing the loading of the recording medium, when the recording medium device is loaded on the loading unit.
This auxiliary recording and/or reproducing unit adopts the non-contact system of transmitting the modulated signal with the power overlaid thereon. To this end, the auxiliary recording and/or reproducing unit includes a transmission/reception unit for transmitting/receiving the recording medium information with the auxiliary storage medium of the recording medium device and for furnishing driving signals for driving the auxiliary storage medium.
The recording medium information is inputted/outputted with the auxiliary storage medium of the recording medium device during the loading of the recording medium to shorten the time needed for recording and/or reproduction of the recording medium.